NRC commits to sustainable humanitarian funding with Clinton Global Initiative

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) announced a commitment at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2024 Annual Meeting to sustainably resource humanitarian work through the new NRC Capital Fund. In the first phase of the fund NRC will solarize its field operations.

“Solar power is not just about reducing emissions, it’s about ensuring the reliability and affordability of humanitarian operations,” said Jan Egeland, NRC’s Secretary General. “With this commitment, we are making a significant move towards lowering our carbon footprint while making our humanitarian work more effective for those most in need.”

With crises growing in duration and complexity, outdated energy models such as diesel generators are no longer the best solution. Dependency on diesel power in humanitarian operations is unreliable, vulnerable to looting and supply chain weaknesses, contributes to environmental harm, and often increases operational costs in the long term. Solar power offers a cleaner, more reliable alternative but requires substantial upfront investment—a challenge NRC aims to tackle through the NRC Capital Fund.

The Capital Fund combines grants, loans from private and institutional investors, and NRC’s own reserves. NRC’s solarization program will be the fund’s first focus area, providing loans to country offices to finance the replacement of diesel generators with solar technology. NRC country offices will repay their loans through internal financing mechanisms linked to traditional short-term donor funding, with NRC’s head office ensuring repayment. The Capital Fund has an initial implementation pipeline including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Chad, Colombia, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Somalia, and Yemen, directly serving over 5,500 NRC field staff and benefitting millions of our program participants indirectly.

A successful 2022 pilot project in Sudan – which implemented solar power in 11 sites – demonstrated the benefits of solarization for NRC’s operational security, health, and financial well-being. As the fund grows, it will expand to also include capital-intensive services such as water, sanitation, housing, and connectivity, in addition to creating economic opportunities for businesses started by or serving displaced people.

NRC is proud to partner with CGI in this critical effort. CGI’s unique convening model will allow NRC to engage a wide range of stakeholders, from private investors to institutional donors, to scale this innovative solution. NRC views this as a model for the future of humanitarian funding, bridging the gap between short-term crisis response and long-term sustainability.